Of Pollyanna and Marcus Aurelius
Talk about a rabbit hole. This post began as a celebration of spring and how watching nature wake up reminds me that no matter how cold the winter might be, it doesn’t last forever. I thought it a fitting metaphor for life and the world today. Then I started thinking about how some people would read my happy, optimistic post and think me a Pollyanna. That, of course, led to my thinking deeper about Pollyanna’s sunny attitude, and I realized something: Pollyanna has a lot in common with the Stoics. Compare these two quotes: When you look for the bad, expecting it, you will get it. When...
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Protect the Muse
The creative soul is a fragile creature. If you take it for granted, if you feed it a steady diet of anger and sadness, if you fail to treat it with kindness, your muse will wither and die. I know that in this crazy sh*tshow of a world, caring for your creative...
Nancy Brown Sanford
Since March is Women’s History Month, I thought I’d participate in the Ancestral Woman Challenge by sharing some stories about my female relatives. Most of them are unknown women, but they are the reason I exist, and for that reason alone, deserve celebrating. NANCY...
One Last Historical Fiction for Black History Month
Since today is the last day of Black History Month, I thought I’d wrap up with one more historical fiction recommendation. I've always said that the mark of a great historical fiction novel is if, after reading it, you head online to learn more about the characters....
Monday Pep Talk
February 24, 2025 Dear Writer: I want you to know that I see you. I support you. I believe in you. If you’re struggling, I understand. Writing is a hard job, and the publishing world isn’t always fair. Heck, the world isn’t always fair. The rejects, the bad...
Barb’s Book Reviews
AMERICAN DAUGHTERS by Piper Huguley. Portia Washington and Alice Roosevelt couldn’t be two more different people, and yet they had much more in common than people realize. It makes sense that they would become friends in real life. While their friendship is...
Here a Witch, There a Witch
Source: Connecticutghosthunter.com In researching my family history, I was greatly relieved to discover a small typographical error in the family tree. Somewhere along the line, someone changed Frances R. Gould to Francis Gould. Why was I relieved? Because Francis...